On August 27, 1776 in Long island, George Washington prepared all his troops for battle against the British. England had the strongest navy in the world and decided to attack New York first because of it's advantages. Also, British naval ships went in and destroyed all defenses of George Washington's army and stormed the island. This was Washington's first lost but he didn't back down.
The British, who were trying to wage a war upon the American colonies, were looking for a reasonable place to attack. They judged that New York would be a good place to get at, because it was very important for communication in between the colonies. George Washington, who has just came out of the war at Bunker Hill, realized that the British realized its importance, so he immediately moved all of his troops there, dividing them into five sections. They also built up many temporary forts. The British set up a camp near there, with more redcoats joining daily.
"Good God, what brave fellows i must this day lose!" George Washington
On Tuesday, August 27th, 1776, the weather was 78-82°, the morning fog was still sharp in the air. The British figured from the local loyalists in the area that there is an unguarded pass through the Heights of Guan. So, the British ships Phoenix, Rose, Greyhound, Carcass, Thunder, and many others entered through this pass and started to bomb the coast lines of Long Island, killing the patriot gunners along the coasts. A brutal fight left 970 patriots dead.
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, address to the Continental Army before the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776
But the British did not stop there. They took all of the citizens they could find still in New York captive. They took them as prisoners of war in the belly of the ships, where they were almost treated as slaves. Also, a small pox breakout made matters even worse. Not only were you taken captive and caught as prisoners, but you had to live in a ship constantly rocking back and forth with a horrible disease that kills you from the inside out. British soldiers burned down the city. This battle was marked as George Washington’s first battle he lost, and a truly terrible loss it was indeed.
George Washington took a hard hit and the British accomplished to take one of thirteen colonies seven days ago. That unhappy day of killing and battling with the prisoner ships filled is now past. We shall remember this day as a major turning point in the war, as the British have conquered another colony. We can only hope it won't happen again.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
[1] House, Rotherfield. "The Battle of Long Island."British Battles - Analysing and Documenting British Battles from the Previous Centuries. 2010. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://www.britishbattles.com/long-island.htm>.
T3 - 6.3A: Michael Boan, Griffin Jones (Battle of Long Island)
The Siege of Long Island
On August 27, 1776 in Long island, George Washington prepared all his troops for battle against the British. England had the strongest navy in the world and decided to attack New York first because of it's advantages. Also, British naval ships went in and destroyed all defenses of George Washington's army and stormed the island. This was Washington's first lost but he didn't back down.
The British, who were trying to wage a war upon the American colonies, were looking for a reasonable place to attack. They judged that New York would be a good place to get at, because it was very important for communication in between the colonies. George Washington, who has just came out of the war at Bunker Hill, realized that the British realized its importance, so he immediately moved all of his troops there, dividing them into five sections. They also built up many temporary forts. The British set up a camp near there, with more redcoats joining daily.
"Good God, what brave fellows i must this day lose!" George Washington
On Tuesday, August 27th, 1776, the weather was 78-82°, the morning fog was still sharp in the air. The British figured from the local loyalists in the area that there is an unguarded pass through the Heights of Guan. So, the British ships Phoenix, Rose, Greyhound, Carcass, Thunder, and many others entered through this pass and started to bomb the coast lines of Long Island, killing the patriot gunners along the coasts. A brutal fight left 970 patriots dead.
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, address to the Continental Army before the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776
But the British did not stop there. They took all of the citizens they could find still in New York captive. They took them as prisoners of war in the belly of the ships, where they were almost treated as slaves. Also, a small pox breakout made matters even worse. Not only were you taken captive and caught as prisoners, but you had to live in a ship constantly rocking back and forth with a horrible disease that kills you from the inside out. British soldiers burned down the city. This battle was marked as George Washington’s first battle he lost, and a truly terrible loss it was indeed.
George Washington took a hard hit and the British accomplished to take one of thirteen colonies seven days ago. That unhappy day of killing and battling with the prisoner ships filled is now past. We shall remember this day as a major turning point in the war, as the British have conquered another colony. We can only hope it won't happen again.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
[1] House, Rotherfield. "The Battle of Long Island." British Battles - Analysing and Documenting British Battles from the Previous Centuries. 2010. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://www.britishbattles.com/long-island.htm>.
[2] "Battle of Long Island." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia, 14 Dec. 2010. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_long_island>.
[3] "The American Revolution - (The Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn Heights))." The American Revolution. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/battledetail.aspx?battle=8>.
[4] "Battle of Long Island." United States History. 2009. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1279.html>.
[5] Hickman, Kennedy. "American Revolution: Battle of Long Island." About.com. The New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/americanrevolution/p/longisland.>.
[6] "Battle of Long Island - Timelines.com." Timelines.com: Discover, Record and Share History with Timelines. Timelines, Inc., 2010. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://timelines.com/1776/8/27/battle-of-long-island>.
[7] "George Washington Quotes II." Notable Quotes. 2009. Web. 04 Jan. 2011. <http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george_ii.html>.